About Us
Adventures as a temporary local around the world
Why TravelNeighbour?
Adventurous Spouse and I started traveling early in our dating life, and over time, realized that we prefer collecting experiences over collecting stuff. (Don’t get me wrong, we still have boatloads of stuff.) Stuff gets damaged and lost and worn out, but memories linger for a long time. Until you realize that you eventually start forgetting the nuances, the little moments, that made an experience so memorable. I started TravelNeighbour to begin collecting our experiences to share with friends, family, and anyone else who finds them interesting or amusing. Welcome!
I chose the name TravelNeighbour for many reasons. I liked the sound of it. I liked the juxtaposition of Travel, which implies a global perspective, and Neighbour, which has a local flavor. I liked the idea that we are just regular folk, your neighbours, who travel, and also that we often like to travel for weeks at a time, making us neighbours of regular folks all around the world.
What is our perspective?
There are many, many statistics on the paltry number of vacation days Americans actually earn, and of that, how little they take. And when they do go on vacation, they frequently feel the need to check email or do other kinds of work.
Wanderlust Spouse and I are not your typical Americans. Ever since I was persuaded to take three – count’em – THREE! weeks of vacation (all at once, mind you) for our honeymoon, sporting only a backpack, I understood the value of unplugging for an extended period to recharge our batteries and come home with new perspectives.
Additionally, we made life choices that allow us to travel, such as living in a low-maintenance home, and not having anything that requires sitting: children, pets, or houseplants. So if you are looking for advice on how to kennel your dogs or get grandparents to watch the kids before your big trip, you won’t find that here.
My goal here is to share our experiences, not just suggest to you how and where to travel (although there will certainly be some of that). I want to share those things that meant the most to us in our travels. And the things that made us laugh. And the occasional mishaps. And let us not forget the food and wine, which reveal so much about a culture and reinforce the sense of place.
How many spouses do you have?
Just the one. With many facets. Many-faceted Spouse. Who prefers to remain semi-anonymous. Unlike me, who is willing to reveal that my name is Deb and I’m American.
Okay, if you’re an American, why is there a “u” in Neighbour?
Funny story, that. Let’s just say that after choosing the name and setting up a bunch of accounts as TravelNeighbor, I had a slight domain name mishap. But it was perfect for a couple of other reasons: First, it serendipitously referred back to an inside joke with a dear Canadian friend of mine whom I tease frequently about all those extraneous U’s in neighbour and colour and flavour. And second, it sounds a wee bit more international, n’est-ce pas?
